1. Field of Use
The field of use for the hypodermic implant device described in this specification is for injecting implants into living or non-living organisms or things, such as inanimate articles and materials. Most often the implant device will be used for injecting an implant into subcutaneous tissues and blood vessels. The implant may be used for tracking and treatment of humans, animals, and plants. For purposes and illustration of an embodiment of the invention claimed in this specification, an application for the treatment of humans and animals will be described in the xe2x80x9cSummary of an Embodiment of the Invention,xe2x80x9d the xe2x80x9cBrief Description Of The Drawingsxe2x80x9d, and the xe2x80x9cDetailed Description And Operation Of The Inventionxe2x80x9d sections of this specification.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hypodermic implant devices are on the market today. They are used in clinical, surgical, and outdoor settings. However, the currently marketed hypodermic implant devices suffer from several shortcomings. Their extended needle poses a hazard of accidental needle sticks to the caregiver, the patient, and researchers. These devices do not have a nearly fail-safe method of self-destruction after use, thereby allowing possible reuse and the concomitant transmission of disease. Disposal of available implant device also poses risk of accidental needle sticks due to the extension of the islet or needle portion of the used implant device. The exposed islet also necessitates the use of special disposal containers for sharp contaminated articles. Furthermore, currently available hypodermic implant devices rarely feature a safety mechanism for locking the implant device to prevent accidentally expelling the implant. The invention described in this specification solves these needs.
With the proliferation of many blood borne contagious diseases, such as AIDS and Ebola, the frequent use of hypodermic implant devices poses a serious risk of infection. Many times, it is not possible to determine for an extended period of time whether a caregiver or researcher has been infected as a result of a needle sticks. The result can be actual infection with a sometimes-lethal blood borne pathogen or a prolonged period of anguish and worry only to discover that the user is not infected. Use of hypodermic implant devices pose significant risks in the everyday clinical practice of medicine, whether the patient be a human or some other specie of animal, and in the outdoor implantation of animals for research, tracking, or identification.
It has long been recognized that the needle stick risk factor needs to be controlled. Training and care while using hypodermic implant needles is emphasized. But, this, in of itself, is not enough, considering the high probability of a needle stick and the disastrous level of damage to health that it can inflict upon both the patient and caregiver. It is common practice in the health care or research industry to use a hypodermic implant device only once and then to dispose of it in a safe manner. However, currently marketed implant devices are not designed to self-destruct after a single use, thereby posing a risk of multiple uses. The hypodermic implant device of the present invention is designed so that it can be used once, only. Retraction of the piston of the device of the present invention results in retraction of the needle through and out of the luer fitting on the distal end of the barrel. The nozzle end of the needle then drops into a needle receptacle at the distal end of the barrel of the implant device making it virtually impossible to extend the needle outside the barrel. With the needle tilted into the distal end of the receptacle, the needle is simultaneously disabled from further use and safely disposed of; thereby avoiding transmission of infections by accidental needle sticks. Furthermore, in the clinic, hospital, veterinarian office, and farm or other field settings, the disposal of the implant device is much safer and may require a less costly disposal method than the currently used method of sharps disposal. The present invention features a normally retracted needle. This alone reduces risk of accidental needle sticks, since the needle is not exposed until it is actually ready to be injected into the target""s tissue.
This invention also features a locking mechanism that prevents the needle from accidental extension beyond the barrel of the implant device. Extension of the needle requires the user to deliberately depress a tab-like lock, which is integrally molded into the piston. Depression of the lock into a lock space in the piston allows the lock to clear the inside diameter of the barrel, the piston to travel in axial alignment with and into the barrel, and extension of the needle beyond the distal end of the barrel.
This xe2x80x9cSummary of an Embodiment Of The Inventionxe2x80x9d section describes the invention configured for implantation into humans and animals for purposes of illustration. It is to be understood that this invention may be used for myriad other applications.